Minimalist Strength Program

Maximize Strength with Minimal Time and Effort

By Sondre J. K. Berg for Movement Made

Introduction
This is a simple, yet powerfull bodyweight training program that will have you progress your
strength and build muscle . The program is simple, yet effective and is suitable for all levels
with the different progressions introduced.
This program will target all your muscles using level adjusted bodyweight compound exercises.
You can use the program as whole, or get inspiration from the exercises introduced.

Table of contents:
Page 1: Intro + program
Page 2: Push-ups: Road to one arm push-up
Page 3: Push-ups: Road to handstand push-up
Page 4: Pull-ups: Road to one arm pull-up
Page 5: Bodyweoght rows + pull alternative without equiment
Page 6: Core: Leg raises + progressions without equioment
Page 7: Squats: Road to one leg squat

Program
Step 1: Find a suitable progression for all exercises. The progression should be challenging,
but also doable without excerting maximal effort. If you do as many as you can of that exercise,
You should be able to do at least 4 repetitions, and no more than 15 repetitions. As long as
you choose your exercise within this range you’re good to go. A higher max rep will focus
Push-ups er
more on muscle building anddesidert
a loweren av
maxde beste kroppsvektøvelsene
rep will der ute. I likhet
focus more on strength.
med benkpress trener den primært brystmusklene, triceps og fremre
Step 2: Follow thedelillustration below
av skuldrene i tilleggusing the
til noen progressions
sekundær- you have chosen,
og stabiliseringsmuskler i doing all
exercises for as many repetitions as you can, back to back with 30 seconds rest between.
tilknytning til bevegelse av skulderbladene. I motsetning til benkpress
Between the last exercise and the first exercise, allow a rest time of 90 seconds before starting
vil push-up kreve mye mer aktivering av kjernemuskulatur.
the round over again. Do the round 3-5 times.
Når vi bygger opp progresjonsstigen til push-ups, vil den på
et tidspunkt
Step 3: Do this workout (når du har
2-3 times mestret
a week. fullcan
You push-up) splittes
alternate i to
between what variations of the
exercises yu use as introduced
retninger – veienin
motthe following pages,
énarms-push-ups or you
og veien motcan stick with the same exerises
each workout. håndstående push-up. Her må du velge hvilken av
veiene du skal gå, eller inkludere begge. Veien
Note: This workout and porgram is excellent by itself, but also very suitable as a base program
mot énarms-push-up vil trene brystet mest,
combined with skill training for skills like handstand, planche, front lever, human flag,
mens veien mot håndstående push-up vil
muscle-up etc.
trene skuldrene mest. Hvis du også velger
å inkludere dips i treningen din, vil jeg si
at veien mot håndstående push-up gir
mer mening, ettersom dips også trener
brystet i veldig stor grad.
2: Pull-up/row
progression

30
se
t c
re
r es st
s ec
30
push - up 1

1: Push-up
progression

5-15 repetitions / exercise

3-5 rounds

3: Squat
t progression
s
206 90 re
c
se se
c 30
re
st

208
4: Core
progression
 Push-ups variation 1:
Road to one arm push-up

Tips: Using gym rings is an excellent way to adjust the height

of your hands in elevated push-ups. You can also use gym rings all
the way to one arm push-ups. This will slightly increase the
difficulty of all progressions, but you also get a bunch of benefts.
More stabilising muscles will be used and you get incresed
muscle activation. It also enables you to increase the range of
motion which promotes better strength and muscle gains.

LVL1 : E l e v a t e d p u s h - u p 1

LVL 4 :
Knee push-up

LVL 3 : E l e v a t e d p u s h - u p 3

LVL 6 :
Full push-up

TO
PU HA
LVL 1 7 : SH N
-U DS
1 finger P TA
assisted ND
LVL 11 : Staggered push-up push-up

LVL 1 9 :
One arm
push-up
LVL 14 : 5 finger assisted
push-up

Push-ups are undoubtedly one of the best bodyweight exercises available.

Similar to the bench press, they primarily target the chest muscles, triceps, and
the front deltoids, while also engaging secondary and stabilizing muscles associated
with scapular movement. However, unlike the bench press, push-ups demand
significantly more activation of the core muscles.

When building the progression ladder for push-ups, it eventually branches into two
distinct paths once you’ve mastered the standard push-up: the road to the one-arm push-up
and the road to the handstand push-up. At this point, you’ll need to decide which direction
to pursue—or incorporate both into your training. Scan or tap QR-code to
see all exercises and
video demonstrains
 Push-ups variation 2:
Road to handstand push-up

Tips: Using gym rings is an excellent way to adjust the height

of your feet in elevated pike push-ups. You can also use the
straps of gym rings as a “wall” for wall assisted handstand
push-ups.

If you’re struggling with your wrists, using parallettes may

FRO

be a good idea. This will also enable you to go deeper and

M PU

may promote better strength and muscle gains.

SH-U
PS

LVL 7: D own
dog push - up

LVL 8 : Pike push-up

LVL 1 5 : E l e v a t e d
pike push - up 2

LVL 1 6 : Handstand push-up (back to wall) LVL 2 5 : Deep handstand push-up (back to wall) 2

The path to the one-arm push-up focuses more on chest development, while the
handstand push-up path emphasizes shoulder strength. If you’re also including dips
in your training program, the road handstand push-up path might make more sense,
as dips already heavily target the chest. Otherwise, using both the road to one arm push-up
and the road to handstand push-up might make sense.

Scan or tap QR-code to

see all exercises and
video demonstrains
 Pull-ups: The road to
one arm pull-ups
LVL 1 - 9 :
Band
assisted
pull-ups

Tips: Using rubber bands is perhaps the easiest way to get

measurable progressions when learning the pull-up,
but its entirely possible to learn the pull-up without as well.
Several akternatives are availbale in the tappable QR-code.

If you do not have access to gym rings or a bar, an alternative

is to do bodyweoght rows on a sturdy table. You’ll find these
alternatives on the next page.

That being said, the pull-up is really irreplacable if you want to

optimally build functional and strong arms and upper
back muscles.

Alternative LVL 1 - 9 :
Leg assistedn pull-ups

LVL 10:
Pull-ups

LVL 2 0 :
Archer pull-up

LVL 2 1 - 3 4 :
Finger assisted
one arm pull-up
(4 - 1 fingers)

Alternative LVL35:
LVL 2 1 - 3 4 : one arm pull-up
Band assisted
one arm pull-up
(wedgie pull-ups)

The primary muscles worked in a pull-up include the latissimus dorsi (lats), biceps, rhomboids (located
between the shoulder blades), posterior deltoids, and the lower and middle portions of the trapezius.
Additionally, pull-ups also engage secondary muscles, such as the forearm flexors (wrist and finger flexors),
rotator cuff muscles, teres major, pectoralis minor, and the core muscles.

The various progressions presented here can be performed anywhere suitable for pull-ups, though I
demonstrate them using gymnastic rings. Some levels incorporate resistance bands, but alternatives
without bands are also provided. Once you’ve mastered the pull-up, you can begin the journey toward
the one-arm pull-up. Alternatively, you can do weighted pull-ups Scan or tap QR-code to
see all exercises and
video demonstrains
 Bodyweight rows

Tips: If you do not have access to gym rings or a bar, an alternative

is to do bodyweoght rows on a sturdy table. You’ll find these
in the tappable QR-code.

You can use both the bodyweight row and the pull-up in your
training program, but if you where to choose, I would go for pull-ups.

LVL 1 - 7 : h i g h
bodyweight row

LVL 8 : L o w bodyweight row

LVL 1 3 - 1 9 : F i n g e r
assisted one arm row LVL 1 2 : A s s i s t e d
one arm rows

LVL 2 0 : O n e a r m r o w

Bodyweight rowing, like the pull-up, also trains the biceps and lats, but places even greater emphasis on
the upper back muscles: the rhomboids, the lower and middle portions of the trapezius, and the
posterior deltoids.

This exercise is often used as an alternative to pull-ups if you’re not yet strong enough to perform a pull-up.
While this is a valid approach, I would recommend focusing on the exercises introduced in the pull-up
category, as they are much more effective for learning the pull-up.

Bodyweight rowing can be used to target the back muscles more intensively and can also be progressed Scan or tap QR-code to
to become significantly more challenging by working towards the one-arm row. see all exercises and
video demonstrains
 Core

LVL 1 : l y i n g
knee raise

Scan or tap QR-code to

see all exercises and
video demonstrains

Alternative 1: Leg raises

The muscles of the core, including the abdominals,
are just like any other muscle—they require
progressive overload to grow bigger and stronger.
This means the exercises need to become more
challenging as you get stronger.

My favorite exercise for this purpose, which can

LVL 1 8 : be easily adjusted to match your level,
L e g r a i s e is the leg raise. In addition to working your
LVL 9 : t o s i d e s abdominal muscles, leg raises also target the lats,
knee raise LVL 1 6 : hip flexors, and grip strength. This exercise does
Leg raise require something to hang from, but I’ll also
suggest an alternative that’s almost as effective.

LVL 30:
meathook
LVL 2 3 :
Assisted
meathook

LVL 2 0 :
Two arm
meathook

LVL 1
Alternative 2: Core walk outs
Core walkouts are an excellent alternative that doesn’t require any
1 2
equipment. In this exercise, we need to approach things a bit
differently to ensure progressive overload and to track progress
effectively. The further you walk out, the more challenging it
becomes. The goal is to walk out until your body is fully extended
LVL 1 0 and just above the ground, with your feet and hands as the only
points of contact.
3
You can measure your progress by marking the distance you walk
away from your feet and gradually increasing this over time.
Alternatively, you can take a more autoregulatory approach,
walking out as far as you can each time, aiming to go slightly
further every week.

It’s crucial in this exercise to avoid letting the lower back sag or
allowing the pelvis to rotate so that your tailbone doesn’t
lift and tilt away from the body. If you feel strain in your lower back,
it’s likely because you haven’t maintained
proper positioning or have gone too far
LVL 2 0 for what your muscles can handle.

LVL 2 5
Scan or tap QR-code to
see all exercises and
video demonstrains
 Legs: the road to
single leg squats

LVL 2:
Deep squat

LVL 8:
Assisted half
one leg squ
- at

LVL 10:
Half one
leg squat

LVL 15:
Assisted
one leg squat

LVL 20:
one leg
squat

The squat is undoubtedly the best and most functional exercise for building leg strength.
You can develop an impressive amount of strength through bodyweight squats alone by
progressing towards the single-leg squat instead of adding external weights.

This exercise targets both the front of the thighs (the quadriceps, or the four-headed knee extensor)
and the glutes (the gluteal muscles). It’s a powerful and efficient way to strengthen your lower body
while also improving balance and stability.

Scan or tap QR-code to

see all exercises and
video demonstrains
Explore the world of Movement
This program is very minimalistic by nature and mainly focuses on compund exercises
so you can get a time efficient workout that will keep you progressing for as long as you want.
There are however a vast world of skills to practice and movements to learn.
Hand balancing, mobility training, strength skills like human flag, muscle-up, planche and
much more.

For more detailed programs and a deep dive into movement training, hand balancing
and calisthenics skills visit Berg Movement.

Scan or tap to explore

Movement Made
minimalistic training
equipment